Sonic: No Brotherly Love
by The World Needs Bloody Heroes
Summary: For Sonic, defeating Robotnik once and for all came at too high a cost: Tails. After leaving everyone and everything behind to cope with his grief the only way he knew how, Sonic returns to Station Square, and to his friends, when something mysterious seems to be happening and he is needed once again. But what can he do when his new enemy was once his best friend...? *Retelling*
1. Prologue Part I

**Sonic: No Brotherly Love**

_Prologue (Part I) - The Fall_

The sky was a wondrous blue - it's colourful splendour hanging over a dark ocean far below it's great heights. Behind a thin layer of clouds sat the glorious sun, which shone it's blinding rays down upon the water's surface, looking as though a sudden flurry of stars had begun to surface from the ocean's depths. It was as though this place, this vast ocean with a calm sky watching over it, was the perfect picture of peace. And that was why it perfectly hid a dark secret; a secret known only to one until now.

The tranquillity is shattered by the distant sounds of something unnatural; unsettling. It was the sound of air being manipulated, used for a purpose other than carrying oxygen. Flying over the ocean was a large, rectangular shaped object. It was black in colour, and had one large rotor of blades atop it's centre, with a smaller one at the rear on what looked like a tail. It also had three strange shapes underneath it's body, like a triplet of legs, although at their ends were circular shapes. The flying object also had what appeared to be wings at it's sides, which held something else that, unless one was told, was a complete mystery. Contrasting it's dark tone, along the side of the tail was white text that read: G.U.N. It was a Blackhawk helicopter, and not far behind it were a good dozen more, completely identical in appearance.

Jumping over the calm waves of the ocean were boats, which held men and women dressed in military gear who appeared rearing and ready to go. While one person steered the boat, one sat perched at the front, looking down their sights in case they spotted any peculiar activity. Along the sides, the others sat calmly, awaiting news from the upper brass. In the centre of each of these boats sat an individual that stood out from the rest. He had peculiar machinery on his back, with an antenna atop it. In their hands were bulky devices with a square screen on the upper half of it's surface. On the screen, a pale blue line span around and around and around, with only small circles appearing behind and beside the centre, signifying the other boats. Should a red circle appear, they were to alert the others.

However, something peculiar flew way above the boats and just slightly higher than the helicopters. By 'peculiar', it is better to say it was peculiar when compared to the other machinery crossing the ocean, but would be seen as fitting when flying above a city, small town or countryside. It was a biplane, yellow and blue in colour, with a very unique pilot sat in the cockpit.

A young yellow fox, with two tails, was piloting the aircraft, a serious look on his face. Behind him sat another creature, which was blue in colour and certainly not a fox. It sat with it's feet up and hands behind it's head. Or, more accurately, it's quills, for this was a hedgehog.

"Sonic," the fox started, a serious look on his face, "we're nearing the coordinates G.U.N sent us. Are you ready?"

The blue hedgehog, Sonic, opened one of his lidded eyes and smirked confidently, before stating, "Ready whenever you are. I'm itchin' to get this show rollin'."

"Alright," the fox smiled before turning his attention to a strange contraption attacked to the front of his cockpit. "We're ready whenever you are, commander. Just jet us know when you want us to dive."

A firm voice came from the radio, saying, "Roger that. In approximately twenty seconds you'll be right above the target. Dive and then do what you can to retrieve the hostage. You'll be given an hour. After that, we move in. Affirmative?"

"Affirmative," the fox confirmed, then turned his head to look at his friend, asking, "You get that?"

Pulling his pinkie from his itching ear, Sonic echoed the commander's words, "Hostage. One hour." The hedgehog then smirked once again, "Seems they're giving us a little extra time to wreak havoc, huh?"

"We need to be precise, Sonic. Besides, if you go wrecking everyth-," the fox was cut off by the sound of beeping, and then exclaimed, "Alright! We're gonna dive! You ready?"

Sonic gave him a simple thumbs up, and not a second later thick glass shot from one side of each of their cockpits to the other, similar to that of a jet's. Then, the biplane pointed downwards, it's nose now pointed to the direction of the water. The rotor blades came together and bent to form a metallic shield encasing the plane's nose, making it appear like a large arrowhead. Then, the wings came together before bending into the plane's sides, now half the length of what they were but far thicker. The tail remained almost the same, the only difference being that an engine of some sort appeared underneath, just before it's end, and began to emit a humming sound. Within seconds, the plane had transformed into a submarine, but only an instant before it speared into the water.

With the rear engine now propelling them downwards, the hedgehog and his fox friend sat safely in their submarine, venturing deeper and deeper into the ocean's depths.

Before long, when they were surrounded by nothing but the suffocating blackness of the ocean, something caught the pair's attention - a distant, blinking light. Deciding to investigate, the fox increased the speed of the submarine. Even with the increase in speed, the fox took great care to focus on where the sub's lights were pointing, as they were his only indication for whether they were closing in on some rocks. Upon nearing the blinking light, another appeared, but was lower than the one that came before. This was when the fox's ears shot up in realisation; these were lights, not dissimilar to those of a landing strip at an airport, which led pilots to safety by helping them to navigate and deduce what lay ahead. The only difference was, these lights were underneath the ocean's surface, but their purpose was the same. The fox realised that this was perhaps their best shot at finding their 'target', and decided to follow the lights…but did so warily.

The lights led the pair to an opening of a cave, at which the fox asked of his friend, "Are you ready for this?"

Sonic gave his friend a frown and smiled, "What sort of question is that? So long as I'm dry, I'm ready for anything, Tails."

The fox, Tails, smiled in return before steering the submarine into the cave which, upon their entry inside, had underwater vegetation and growth both above and below them. From the vegetation radiated strange and ghostly colours, ranging from the palest of blues to the most mysterious of greens and even sorrowful whites and wondrous pinks. Indeed, it was like stepping into another world. Stalactites and stalagmites were all around, sometimes meeting halfway and conjoining with one another, giving them the appearance of pillars that prevented the entirety of the cave from collapsing onto both Sonic and Tails.

Lights were still attached to parts of the cave's many sides, ceilings and floors, leading the pair down narrow tunnels into other open areas of the cave and then another dozen tunnels.

Eventually, something peculiar stood out to both Sonic and Tails. Not too far in front of them, the lights that had led them seemed to just…end, and in their place stood a thick metallic door, square in shape and dark in colour, making it almost impossible to see lest one was incredibly close. Tails' mouth opened in awe, while Sonic grinned devilishly, as this meant that they had found just what they'd been looking for.

"Now", Sonic started, his grin ever widening, "how do you suppose we get through that?"

Tails studied the door for a moment, before answering, "I have some gear that could help us get through, but just _us_. Trying to create a gap big enough for the Tornado would take…well, let's just say you don't have the patience and we certainly don't have the time."

"Alrighty then! So…who's going out into the water?" The hedgehog asked with a knowing smirk.

Tails looked at him with furrowed brows and commented, "Well, we know who _isn't _going into the water."

And with that, Tails put on a breathing mask which had a tube leading to a small, square-shaped metal container of air at his side, attached to a belt - an invention he had crafted a while ago so as to make the gear used for underwater exploration far more compact and easier to manoeuvre. He also took with him a pair of goggles, unusual gloves and a small device, one that looked like a paint gun with a small cylinder attached underneath.

Using his twin-tails like a pair of rotors, the fox propelled himself, once he entered the water, towards the large metallic door. Once he reached it, he held the device he had taken with him just a few inches from the door and pulled on the trigger, holding it in place, and bright blue flames blazed out in a concentrated manner, making it's heat cover a small space but by doing so intensified it's effects dramatically. Tails made a circular shape in the metallic door and, once it was complete, held his hand at it's centre and used his other hand to twist the wrist area of the glove, which had a small black 'band' around it. The glove then gave off a sound similar to that of a lock before Tails pulled his hand away from the door, while also pushing his body backwards using his twin-tails, with the metal circle he had formed being held at his fingertips. Once the metallic circle had been fully separated from the door, it began to pull Tails down due to it's great weight, leading the fox to once again twist the 'band' on the wrist area of his glove, which then detached the circle from his hand, allowing it to fall to the cave's depths.

Tails then turned to face the submarine, and noticed Sonic had fallen asleep, much to the fox's irritation. He remotely turned the frequency of an earpiece he had given Sonic before leaving the sub right up, and it wasn't long until the hedgehog jumped up, fully awake due to the horrific noise of endless screeching. He shot Tails a glare before the fox signalled for him to follow. Sonic's face dropped, and sweat began to form on his forehead. He hated the ocean; hated it more than anything else, but knew that he had to face his fear, put on the diving gear and allow Tails to pull him through the hole in metallic door, since the hedgehog himself couldn't swim. Perhaps that was why he hated the ocean. Perhaps it was a bad experience he had long ago. Only he knew, but one thing was for certain: Sonic wasn't going to do it without complaining the entire time, something that Tails was all too aware of, and so readied his earpiece to be on the lowest possible volume for when the hedgehog entered the water.

Once he left the safety of the sub, Sonic immediately began to move frantically, as though he was trying to fend off the water that surrounded him. Tails made his way towards his friend and grabbed his wrist, which immediately put the hedgehog at ease. Or, at least, calmed him to some degree. After using his 'rotors' to propel them, Tails made his way through the small opening in the metallic door, pulling Sonic alongside him. When they were through, it was even darker than where the pair had come from, as there was no glowing vegetation or growth, nor was there the comforting white lights that the submarine used to illuminate the blackness.

The two friends looked at one another, and then upwards. They then began their ascent, and as they did so Tails pondered on what they - him, Sonic and their friends - would do if this mission was a success. Would they simply live out their lives, like so many? It was a possibility for the others and himself, but what of Sonic? The blue hedgehog lived for adventure, danger and the exploration of the unknown. If they removed their prime source for these, where did that leave him? The fox thought back to a book he had read, one that told the story of what a hero, someone who was so dedicated in eradicating the evil of another person, does when they achieve such a goal? At first, they were lost and without a calling, but managed to pull through in the end and learnt to enjoy the life they then led. But…this was Sonic, the walking, talking definition of stubborn, so could even he learn to let go? Only time would tell…

Before long, the pair reached the surface of the water, which was being prevented from rising any higher by stone ledges that had yellow and black stripes painted on them. On the ceiling were dim lights, so it was no wonder the two friends had not seen them when further below. There were iron catwalks that led to metallic doors, similar in appearance to the one they had just gotten through, albeit on a smaller scale.

Tails pulled them both towards one of the ledges, with Sonic humming the tune from a popular spy movie as he did so. The two climbed out, began removing their diving gear and Tails lifted his arm to look at his wrist that had a watch strapped around it, which looked weathered and old but still very much ticked and tocked. He then twisted the watch's side, and the arms at the centre were replaced with a lens. He aimed the lens all around the room, now clicking the side to take a picture.

After taking off the last of the diving gear, Sonic sighed in relief before asking, "What're you doing?"

"Just taking some photographs for G.U.N.", the fox stated, "they want as much intel on this place as possible."

"Even after what's gonna happen?" The hedgehog questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Tails shrugged and answered, "Guess it never hurts to have more intel."

"It doesn't hurt, buddy, but it's a waste of time. Let's get this whole thing done with ASAP, 'kay?" Sonic suggested with a smirk.

The fox shook his head, "They'll chew my ear out if I-"

"Yeah, yeah…put it on the report that it was my fault, okay? Say I, uh, rushed you or something. We know they won't give me any trouble," Sonic proposed, while walking away.

Tails chuckled slightly with a friendly smile on his face, still amused at how unashamedly arrogant his friend could be. "You're not untouchable, Sonic."

"Maybe not…," the hedgehog began while looking away, before turning towards his fox friend with a grin, "but I've made it this far, right? I'm lucky like that."

Tails now followed after his friend as they made their way up a catwalk, and commented, "Perhaps it's not so much luck as it is, oh I don't know, me and the others looking out for you?"

Sonic couldn't hold back a chuckle, and said, "Could be that, too. But it's mostly luck. Or my speed. Heck, it could be these good looks o'mine, and Egghead would just feel too cruel in ridding the world of such a beauty!"

"The only people who think you're a beauty is yourself and Amy."

The blue hedgehog stopped just before going through one of the metallic doors. "Well, Amy has a good taste. Perfect, even!"

Tails then muttered, and spoke in a wondering tone, "Now all she needs is a perfect way to catch you…"

"You help her and I'll never forgive you," Sonic declared quietly, grabbing his friend by the arms while staring into him a serious look.

Tails simply smiled wickedly in return before pulling out a small device from his utility belt, attaching the wires that were on it's side to a scanner on the wall, right of the door.

Sonic placed his back against the stone wall to the left of the same door, crossed his ankles and arms, before saying, "Besides, she's not talking to me."

"Oh?" Was all Tails managed to conjure, as he was too focused on trying to gain them access.

"Yeah. Ever since I borrowed some of her make-up, she's had it in for me - chasing me around with that hammer of hers."

Tails looked away from what he was doing for a second, and asked bewilderedly, "Why…did _you_ borrow Amy's make-up?"

Sonic look at his friend plainly for a moment, before shrugging and answering, "Knuckles was asleep."

"Oh."

"But it was a masterpiece, if I say so myself. She should be proud of what I made, not going on about how I wasted her 'expensive miracle workers for such childish exploits'!" The hedgehog proclaimed.

Tails gave his friend a quick glance. "She really said that?"

"Yeah. Knuckles barely comes to visit us, as it is! So when _he_ decides, in what I can only describe as a fleeting moment of madness, to fall sleep while in _my_ company at _your_ workshop, I have to do something! And the whipped cream and feather is just too cliché nowadays." Sonic explained, earning a laugh from Tails, whom had nearly cracked the door.

"Amy doesn't wear make-up most of the time, right? Why would she even need it?" Tails questioned, genuinely curious.

Sonic pondered for a moment, placing a finger to his chin and scratching in thought, before saying, "I haven't seen her wearing make-up. Ever. She was probably saving it for some special occasion."

Tails' head shot up, and his eyes widened in realization of why Amy had the make-up. She was just waiting for Sonic to ask her out on a date. A _real _one, and wanted to look her best for when the time came. If it came.

Tails was about to lecture the hedgehog when the blue blur stated, "Wow. If she really was waiting for the right time to use it…for, ya know…I feel kinda bad. I should get her some more and apologise."

Tails was pleased with his friend for realising his mistake and what the make-up was meant for.

He was anyway, right before Sonic said, completely genuine with his words, "It wouldn't be right that I'm the one to put the make-up on Knuckles, especially when she'd been waiting so long for him to pay us all a visit. That's a special occasion, alright. I'm so…so selfish."

Tails face-palmed himself just before the door opened.

"Well, that's this door dealt with. Just a possible two-thousand more to go." Tails then saw Sonic's face sink, as he hated the thought of waiting so long _again_. "Don't worry, I have the codes now."

Sonic sighed in relief, and said, "Don't do that again, buddy. Never again. My ticker just couldn't take it."

Tails laughed quietly as the two made their way through the door and onwards, making progress in completing their objective.

Sadly, nothing could prepare them for what was about to transpire…

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_**Well, here's the first part of the prologue for Sonic: No Brotherly Love. This is a retelling of my original, now ancient, story No Brotherly Love, as it will focus on the same initial idea, but have significant differences. There's two parts as I feel the prologue would be too much to digest in one sitting and would benefit from having the time and care taken in setting up the events for the story. It also gives me time to write carefully and constructively rather than rushing. This story, however, is written collaboratively with The Wandering Looney, so check them out! They have their own solo story that they're writing! **_

_**Thanks for reading! **_


	2. Prologue Part II

**Sonic: No Brotherly Love**

_Prologue (Part II) - Goodbyes?_

Sonic and Tails had been wandering for far too long, as their allotted time was quickly running out. They needed to find the hostage, and fast, or else both themselves and the one they had come to save would be dragged to the ocean's deepest depths along with the base. Tails could feel the pressure getting to him, and the fact that Sonic was growing frustrated from having to slowly sneak around didn't help one bit.

"Is there any way we could speed things along? We haven't got much time here," Sonic commented, the first words he had, surprisingly, said in the past half hour or so. When his friend didn't reply, Sonic asked, "Tails?"

The young fox was hurriedly typing the necessary code into the keypad beside the sealed door, trying to retain his cool, but to no avail.

Sonic noticed the serious look on Tails' face and couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for him. In a rare moment of deep thought, the hedgehog pondered on where he would be without his best friend. How would he have stopped Robotnik so many times without Tails' help? Without his tech-wiz and insightful nature?

"Okay, hopefully this'll be it," Tails muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

When the door opened, Sonic was the first to enter, but not before giving Tails a pat on the back for reassurance. The last thing the whole rescue mission needed was the usually level-headed fox freaking out. Tails appreciated the kind gesture, smiling as he followed suit.

Upon the pair making their way inside, the door they came through immediately closed, leaving them in pitch blackness, unable to see their very noses! The darkness surrounded them for a few moments, and those moments were suffocating. This was certainly a trap…but what had Robotnik set up? What had he planned?

Well, both the hedgehog and fox were left in shock when the lights came on, blinding both of them before illuminating the entire room. Though to refer to the area as a 'room' was underwhelming. It was a huge, enormous space, the like Sonic had only seen on occasion when battling a particularly large robot made by his favourite mad scientist. The reasons for each of them being in shock were different, however. Sonic was in disbelief due to the fact that Robotnik, or a threat of any sort, was _nowhere _to be seen. Tails, on the other hand, had his feelings of shock replaced with awe as, at the centre of the room, hanging from the ceiling, was a mainframe the likes of which he had never seen before; a supercomputer, though that hardly did it justice. Just looking at the machinery conveyed enough to Tails that he knew this was Robotnik's greatest achievement. What it did? Only the good doctor was aware of that, but Tails had a feeling it was something…mind-boggling.

Sonic, who had noticed his friend's state, placed a hand on the fox's shoulder and shook him slightly, "Tails, buddy? You alright?"

Tails then shook his head furiously, snapping himself out of the trance, "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just…wow."

The duo made their way towards the mainframe, arriving at a screen so large that even Big would find it a tad too much. As they approached it, a holographic keyboard appeared, with the standard letters and numbers one would expect, as well as signs neither of them recognised. Well, Tails probably had some inkling as to what they meant, but Sonic was left baffled. And whenever the hedgehog was baffled by something other than adventure or an unbelievable view, he lost interest. Immediately, Sonic began looking for way out, as venturing back through the way they came would mean that they were backtracking. Not that the door would open at that moment, anyway.

"Wanna find a way out'ta here?" The blue creature questioned. Upon receiving no reply, he turned back to Tails, who was already trying to hack into the mainframe that had captivated him.

Sonic stood beside his friend, watching as the fox typed away - attempting to overcome the computer's protective measures.

Tapping his foot impatiently, Sonic drew the line when he swore he saw saliva dripping from the fox's lower lip, and exclaimed, "Look, you could play with this gizmo all day for what I care, but we're _running out of time_!"

Tails didn't pull his eyes from the screen, but stated, "Important information could be locked away on this thing. Secrets we know nothing about. You go on ahead, and I'll do what I can from here. It probably holds some kind info on this place."

The hedgehog raised his hands, defeated, as he knew there was no way to pull his pal from this thing, no matter what he said.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you, Tails. If you need help, call me and I'll be here in a flash," Sonic said, walking away so as to find a route out - a covert route, hopefully - but not before finishing with, "But when I find Knuckles, whether you've got into that thing or not, we're leaving. I don't wanna be here when G.U.N. lays down the offensive!"

"You got it!" Tails saluted with a smile, making the hedgehog do the same out of amusement.

As his eyes scanned the 'room' almost as quick as his legs moved, it didn't take long for him to spot and unprotected ventilation shaft - one that was large enough for him to fit into, and could possibly lead to the red nuisance he had come to save. The only problem was…reaching it was impossible from the ground, so the hedgehog's only hope would be to traverse upwards until he could make some attempt to get inside.

He searched for somewhere to begin his ascension, and spotted a particularly large cord running up the mainframe of Tails' new toy. All he had to do was gain a little altitude to get to that, then make like a monkey and climb it, which would likely bring him closer to the ventilation shaft.

Now set on getting to his goal, Sonic used his incredible speed to run up a wall as best he could, then back-flipped from it's surface, twirling in the air so as to now face the nearing chord. Once it was in grabbing distance, he seized it and then, with a firm grip preventing him from falling, he began to scramble his way upwards, beginning messily but eventually finding a rhythm, making it so he was more or less sprinting up the mainframes side.

"Don't do anything to break it!" He heard from below, knowing that the worried voice was certainly Tails', making the hedgehog grin mischievously.

As he neared the top, all that was in his way now was the mainframe itself; it's shielded electrics preventing him from pouncing towards the vent, so he had to find a way around it. But he had picked up enough speed to take a risk: he would quickly run along the mainframe's side, and once the vent was in sight…he'd take a leap of faith.

The hedgehog executed his plan and, as if Lady Luck herself had shone down upon him, a horizontal pole, attached from one wall of the 'room' to the opposite, was between him and the vent. He jumped, swung from the metal pole and released his grip when he had the right angle.

"Woo!" He cheered as his feet did away with the metal panel shielding the vent's entrance, and he landed inside. Sonic the Hedgehog was now making like a secret agent and crawling through a system of vents hastily.

However, the act of sneaking around in vents was far less fun than movies painted it to be, and the hedgehog soon found himself spin dashing around the many routes he could take, until one said route led him to an end that, beyond the metal penal, was a chamber, inside which was a cube-like frame, with shields on each of it's sides. Within the cube prison was none other than one of Sonic's friends and long-time rivals: Knuckles the Echidna.

Sonic removed the panel carefully, peeked outside the vent and, once he was sure the coast was clear, left it's confines and landed on a tiled floor.

Noticing this fact, the hedgehog commented, "Guess even the ol' Eggy has a taste for interior decorating. Honestly, the whole metal walls, floors and ceilings thing was getting old. It's nice of him to try something new."

Sonic then made his way towards his contained friend, who sat cross-legged, eyes closed, as though awaiting rescue. Sonic couldn't help but smile when he reached Knuckles' prison, crouching so as to be on the echidna's level.

The hedgehog tapped the shield hard enough to gain Knuckles' attention and, once the red echidna looked up at him, Sonic's smile transformed into a grin.

"Lovin' the new place, Knucklehead," Sonic said sarcastically.

Knuckles breathed deeply, and then spoke in a calm tone, "Get me out of here, Sonic."

"No, really, it's so you."

"Get me out of here, _Sonic_."

"I simply adore the aqua blue shielding. About time you went blue! Red is so eight years ago."

"Get me out of here."

"I mean, the frame is to die for!"

"Get me out of here."

"The neighbourhood itself is a bit, how should I say…rough? Talk about taking a _dive_ with your standards, am I right?"

"Get me out of here."

"Let's be honest, livin' in these parts, it's only a matter of time before you-"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Knuckles shouted with rage, finally giving in to the hedgehog's teasing.

"…Snap." Sonic finished with a devilish grin, more than slightly amused at the echidna's anger.

Knuckles shot such a glare at Sonic that the hedgehog felt as though his friend had suddenly acquired the power of laser vision. Unable to take the threatening gaze for too long, Sonic searched the room for the console that would allow him to free the echidna. He found that it was behind him, near the metallic door that would be the 'acceptable' way to enter the chamber. Once he reached it, Sonic knew exactly what to do to release Knuckles, after all, this was no different to Robotnik's usual tech he had seen Tails work a hundred times before. Even Knuckles knew how to work something this basic, but the hedgehog couldn't resist playing around just a bit more.

"Hey…what do I press to get you out'ta there?" The hedgehog asked.

Knuckles stood and pressed his hands against the shield, positioning himself so as to get a better view, "Let me have a look…"

Sonic stood to the side, waving over the console in a similar fashion to how a game-show host presents possible prizes.

After a brief few seconds, Knuckles spoke up again, "All you have to do is press that button right there."

The hedgehog turned to the console again, shrugged and questioned, "Where?"

"Right there."

"Where?"

"Right _there_."

"…Where?"

"_THERE_."

"WHERE?"

"Right…!" The echidna brought one of his gloved hands to his face, unable to finish the sentence as his patience was quickly dwindling again. With eyes closed, he muttered, "The square button…"

"The what button?"

"The _square _button."

"They're all square, Knucklehead. Be more descriptive."

Knuckles opened his eyes, only he frowned intensely, trying to prevent his fury from bettering him, "The button to the right."

Sonic's hands hovered over the many buttons, going from left to right before placing one on a particular button…on the left of the console, "This one?"

"Does that look like it's to the right?!" The echidna exclaimed, now clenching his fists, almost believing the hedgehog's feigned stupidity. Even if the stupidity was genuine, it wouldn't have made it any less irritating.

"But are you talking my right or your right?"

Knuckles opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped himself and thought for a moment. When realisation hit him, his half-lidded eyes were burning with sheer anger and he growled, "We're facing the same way."

Sonic then turned around so as to face Knuckles again, "No we're not."

"Now we're not! Just-"

"I'm just pushing your buttons, Knuckles!" Sonic said light-heartedly while leaning against the console, knowing his joke was quickly passing it's expiration. "Speaking of pushing buttons…," the hedgehog started, only to then press the correct button to release his now fuming friend, "voila!"

The echidna marched over to the hedgehog, taking him by the scruff of his neck before hissing, "You're _so_ funny, Sonic. So funny in fact, that I've got a joke for you," Knuckles then drew back a fist, readying himself to drive it right into the smirking hedgehog's face, "but I think I'll skip right to the PUNCHLINE!"

Just as the blue hero was about to find out the meaning of a knuckle sandwich , the room suddenly went pitch black, the lights having gone out. Then, light returned, only in the form of a slow and blinking red. Something had triggered the base's alarms. Then, the two friends felt the entire chamber shake, making Knuckles release the hedgehog that was in his grip. Both tensed, holding their balance. When the shaking subsided, it happened again, only this time the pair heard an explosion…one that sounded too close for comfort.

"We better skedaddle!" Sonic recommended, earning a nod from the red echidna.

Within a moment, Knuckles was attempting to pry open the metallic door, but it was no use.

"The darn thing won't-ugh-budge!" Giving in, the echidna left the door and asked breathlessly, "What now?"

"It is the prison door, it's bound to be thicker than most…" Sonic then pointed to the vent he had used, "That's our only shot!"

"You kidding?! I'm not being funny, but I don't think climbing through vents right now is such a good idea!" Knuckles proclaimed and, in truth, Sonic agreed.

"I don't like it either, but we just got'ta go for it!" The hedgehog jumped into the vent, and Knuckles followed reluctantly. "And when are you _ever _funny?"

"Shad'dap!"

After leading Knuckles through the vents, it wasn't long until Sonic had returned to the 'room' where he had left Tails. However, the sight before him was terrible. Just by looking out from the vent, the hedgehog could see that the ceiling had begun to collapse and, down on the ground, metal beams and the like had fallen on the young fox.

"Tails!" Sonic called, worried for his friend.

In an instant, Knuckles pushed forward, grabbing the hedgehog's leg as he did so, and leapt from the vent before punching his fist into the mainframe's structure, allowing him to then climb down safely, bringing Sonic with him.

When they reached the bottom, Sonic ran to Tails' side. He found the fox to be unconscious, but still breathing. The hedgehog tried his best to move the debris from atop his friend, but to no avail.

"Knuckles! Lend me a hand!" Sonic ordered, waving for the echidna to join him.

Knuckles ran to assist Sonic in freeing Tails, "A hand?! How about you…," the echidna paused briefly, placing his hands underneath the beams and metal atop the fox, then lifting it just enough so that they could free their friend, "leave it to me!"

While Knuckles held all of the weight, Sonic pulled Tails from underneath, then carried the young fox in his arms, "I got him! Let's get out of here, NOW!"

Knuckles managed to punch his way through the sealed door and the trio were then making their way to the submarine, with Sonic running at Knuckles' pace so as to not leave him behind. Once they reached the pool of water that they would have to descend in order to get to the submarine, Sonic knew what had to be done.

"Knuckles, put on the diving gear there and take Tails back to the sub!"

Disbelief was plastered on the echidna's face, "…What?"

"I can't swim, and there's only enough gear for two!" Sonic stated.

"Then how did you plan on getting me out'ta here?!"

Sonic stared down to the ground for a moment, and said, "G.U.N. were supposed to contact Tails and then they'd take ya before attacking the base. We were only sent here to get ya free, but clearly things aren't going as planned."

The hedgehog laid Tails on the ground, and placed a hand on the side of his face tenderly.

"What about you?" Knuckles questioned, genuinely concerned for Sonic's well-being.

The hedgehog rose slowly, and gave the echidna a reassuring smile, "It's me we're talking about. Like I said to Tails, I've made it this far. I'm lucky like that. I'll come out of this alright."

Knuckles gave a slow nod, looked down at the young fox at the hedgehog's feet and muttered, "He'll make it."

Sonic too looked down at the fox, and said, "I know." He then gave Knuckles a thumbs up and made his way back towards the way they came, "You do know how to drive that sub, right?"

"Not a clue," the hedgehog heard from behind.

Waving goodbye, Sonic shouted, "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out!"

With that, Sonic dashed off to find his own escape route. As he ran, he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't encountered the good ol' Eggman while down there. Usually, the blue blur couldn't go a few minutes in one of Robotnik's bases without having to confront him, yet the mad genius hadn't appeared. Just where was he?

The base began to take water, and it wasn't long until almost everywhere had been flooded. Time was quickly running out. Sonic eventually found a long tunnel, made of naught but glass, which led to another area of the base. The hedgehog thought that maybe there was a possible means of escape, after all.

As he ran through the tunnel, it's lights flickered, eventually going out. Suddenly, he heard a horrifying sound behind him: water. He glanced back, and saw that the tunnel had begun to flood as a wave quickly made it's way towards him. Sonic picked up the pace, knowing that if he was caught by the small tsunami that it would spell doom for him.

Just as he neared the entrance to the other section of the base, another wave of water burst through the metallic door, now coming from that direction, also. The hedgehog came to a halt, but his iconic smile remained.

As the waves came crashing towards him, ready to drag him down to the ocean's depths, he closed his eyes and whispered, "Luck don't fail me now…"

And with that, the water engulfed him. The glass tunnel cracked and shattered, breaking into millions and millions of pieces, and somewhere, among it's shards, was Sonic.

Meanwhile, Knuckles had just made it back into the submarine, and fumbled with the controls, panicking, trying to deduce how the contraption worked.

"Oh, come on! I need to get this thing moving! Please, just…_start_!" The echidna begged, as he pushed switch after switch and button after button.

Then suddenly, as though the Master Emerald itself had heard his plea, the submarine shook as it's rotors began to move.

So as not to get lost in the moment of mercy, Knuckles quickly worked out how to move the small vessel, driving it through the caves that Sonic and Tails had come through not long before, though at a reckless and rapid speed.

The echidna did his best to follow the lights out, but eventually found himself following instinct, travelling whichever way he felt was right. Fortunately, Knuckles seemed to have a keen sense of direction, as an opening was now in sight.

Knuckles pushed forward with all his might, hoping it would help to speed up the submarine.

As the echidna neared his goal, the cave began to collapse, and rocks began to hit the submarine from the sides, from above…from every direction, it felt like!

"No! Come on! C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon!" Sweat dripped from Knuckles' face, as the submarine was close to being buried beneath all of the debris. "C'MON!"

Knuckles then felt the submarine being pushed down by the weight of the falling rocks, but he was so close to making it out; so close to both he and Tails surviving this ordeal.

The entrance of the cave began to shrink, the rocks and rubble seeking to make this place both the echidna and fox's tomb.

Mere inches from making it out, the submarine's metal began to shriek, as though crying out in pain. The rotors had now been crushed, so it was down to momentum whether they escaped or not.

The entrance, and hope, was almost gone, the weight of the debris unbearable…this was the end. Knuckles turned back to see Tails still unconscious, water seeping in behind him. It was over.

"TAILS!"

And then…darkness.

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **_

_**Here's the second and final part of the prologue for Sonic: No Brotherly Love. Sorry it took so long, but writing collaboratively definitely makes this process longer, but certainly more fun. The Wandering Looney is helping me to write this story, so I hope you'll give them a look and read the other Sonic story that they're writing right now. Anyhow, that's the prologue out of the way, so the story truly begins in the next update! Where WAS Robotnik? What happened to Sonic, Knuckles and Tails? What caused the base to be flooded and destroyed? Find out!…in the near future…hopefully. Please let me know if there was any mistakes and I'll fix them! **_

_**Again, thanks for reading! **_


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